ADNK

New day. Back on the phone with Ford cutomer care asking why I haven't heard from them. I got the name and number of the manager I have been assigned and left him a voice mail message. He is due at the office by 10AM.

 

Unfortunately this means I will be picking up my car today with no discovery of the cause of the 12 volt problem.

 

Please post full details of what your dealerships test, what results they get, and what they change or correct to try to solve this problem.

 

And please call Ford customer care and write letters so that Ford hears there is a problem.

I picked up my car this morning. They went over it yesterday and this morning and couldn't find the reason for the shut-down.  He DID say that if it happened again, not to get it jumped, but to call for a tow so he could take a look at it "non-normal", the better to find the problem.  He too called the inhouse service dept. "hot line" with the same results as above (i.e. stonewalling)

When I got home I called 800 392-3673 central Ford Customer Service line. and told them what had happened. I also told them that the kind of people who buy hybrids and electric cars are the kind of people who are really hooked into social media and that Ford REALLY ought to get in front of this if they don't want to damage the brand.

I told her that people really want to love this car, this domestic hybrid that's cute as hell. And I reminded her that "people still buy Tylenol", despite the tampering scandal because the company was right out in front with their customers.

In the meantime I will be buying of of those little jump-start portables to keep in the back  :)

service manager just called me.

 

he called Ford's hotline and they told him 1) if no trouble codes are stored in the engine's computer then the DC converter is working properly and the hot line advises against any further tests, and 2) the hot line said they had no records of any similar cases.

 

Tomorrow I will pick up my car and drive it, hoping I don't get stuck with a car that does not start at an especially inconvenient time. If/when it does not start, I will have it towed to the dealership rather than jump started so they can see it in the non-functional condition.

 

I will also follow up with Ford's customer care office.

 

Mbedit's case with the Ford engineer would be especially helpful to know more about so that we all can document that Ford knows there is a problem.

 

I would not yet say that Ford has crossed a line in refusing to acknowledge a manufacturing/design defect, but this is obviousy goign to take more work on our part, and more bad experiences of cars with dead batteries.

 

If the problems continue and Ford is not forthcoming with a solution, then the car will develop a bad reputation fast. It is in Ford's best interest to solve a problem like this ASAP. Of course the real world does not always work that way.

It is clearly in our best interests to make as much noise as possible.

This whole thread is a revelation.

Today my 3 week old CMAX SE would not start. It was completely dead, no lights, key remote not working.  RoadSside jumped me and I went straight to the dealer.  They ran diagnostics and couldn't find anything. I have a loaner for overnight.  I sent the service adviser a link to this topic.  I am also going to call that Ford number upthread to register the problem.  How terribly discouraging this whole business is.